Respawn Entertainment Premieres First ‘Titanfall’ Gameplay Footage

It’s been an announcement several years, a few lawsuits, and several million dollars in the making, but gamers finally laid eyes on Titanfall, the first game from Respawn Entertainmnent. For those that might not know Respawn was formed by Jason West and Vince Zampella, who originally formed Infinity Ward over a decade ago.

Much like Infinity Ward”s high profile franchise, Call of Duty, Titanfall puts multiplayer front and center, albeit with a few caveats. We had already heard a few tidbits of information about the game last week, but we finally got to see it in action at Microsoft’s E3 2013 Media Briefing and Electronic Arts’ Press Conference.

As you might expect, the marquee showpieces of Titanfall are the pilotable mechs. However, unlike the mechs featured in titles like Mechwarrior or Hawken, the one’s on display in Titanfall are almost like bigger, armor-covered versions of Titanfall‘s smaller FPS characters, called pilots.

So, while pilors run around in the first person view, using all sorts of weaponry to dispatch enemies on the ground and in the sky, they can also call in a “titanfall,” Respawn’s name for mech drops. Once inside these “titans” players will have access to much stronger weaponry, as well as some mech-specific powers.

One of the “powers” on display during the demo allowed the mech to magnetically attract incoming artillery and then send it flying back at an enemy. Powers are just icing on the cake, though, as the mechs are capable of dealing out plenty of death and destruction by stamping on helpless enemies or plucking them out of enemy mechs with their bare fists…well, robot fists.

While the game certainly has its traditional FPS trappings, the real appeal of Titanfall will obviously be the mechs. Those players without mechs aren’t left helpless, however, but have access to abilities — a jetpack and wall ride — that allow them to move quickly from cover to cover. That might not be enough as the mechs looked much nimble in the demo than those hulking pieces of machinery gamers are using to piloting.

Overall, what Respawn brought to the Media Briefing and Electronic Arts was impressive, if a little dated graphically speaking. If there’s anything that the folks at Respawn know how to do well it’s multiplayer, and what they chose to show felt like an extension of the Call of Duty experience. Some might have found the demo unappealing for one reason or another, but what Respawn showed certainly had promise.

What do you think of the Titanfall gameplay footage? Does it seem like the type of multiplayer shooter you might be interested in?